Batum delivered an impressive performance[6] at the 2007 Nike Hoop Summit[7] scoring 23 points (9/13 FG, 3/5 for 3 pointers) in 28 minutes.

[10] Upon being selected with the 25th pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets, Batum was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for the rights to Darrell Arthur and Joey Dorsey.

On March 13, 2009, Batum recorded a season-high 20 points to go along with a clutch three-pointer with 29.9 seconds left, en route to a 109–100 victory over the New Jersey Nets.

On June 25, 2012, the Portland Trail Blazers extended a qualifying offer to Batum, making him a restricted free agent.

[19] On January 21, 2013, Batum recorded his first triple-double in a 98–95 loss to the Washington Wizards, scoring 12 points and adding 10 rebounds, and 11 assists, in addition to 3 steals and 2 blocks.

[22] He made his debut for the Hornets in the team's season opener against the Miami Heat on October 28, recording 9 points and 6 rebounds in a 104–94 loss.

[44][45] On 1 November 2023, the Philadelphia 76ers acquired Batum, Marcus Morris Sr., Kenyon Martin Jr. and Robert Covington from the Clippers in exchange for James Harden, P. J. Tucker, and Filip Petrušev.

[47] Lanky and agile, Batum is regarded as a highly skilled defensive player and one of the NBA's best executors of the chase-down block.

[48] Growing up in Pont-l'Évêque, Normandy, the lanky Batum was among the tallest boys of his age group and began his basketball career as a center.

[48] Inspiration had been drawn from NBA shot-blocking specialist Dikembe Mutombo, known for theatrically wagging his finger after rejections — an affectation which Batum emulated.

[48] Batum noted in a 2013 interview with the Portland Oregonian that, as he got older, he was moved from the low post to the wing, where he was no longer able to make the face-up block, a signature component of his game.

Through March 2013, only two players in the 2012–13 season who did not play center or power forward had performed more blocks than Batum — Josh Smith and Kevin Durant.

[48] On May 31, 2021, Batum started for Los Angeles Clippers as a center of the lineup against Dallas Mavericks in game four of the 2021 NBA playoffs.

[49] In 2006, Batum was named the most valuable player of the Under-18 Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Mannheim, Germany, as part of the tournament-winning French national team.

Late in a 66–59 quarterfinal loss to Spain, a frustrated Batum punched Spanish player Juan Carlos Navarro in the groin.